Wall-sign structure.



J. CHAPIN. WALL SIGN STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1912.

1,057, 1 17. Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

' Fnsr I 2, MMMWAL wwwwszs j INVENTOR y? UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE. JAY CHAPIN, F EDGEWOOD BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANJ ZA, ASSIGNOR "1'0 JAS. H. MATTHEWS & 00., OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVAN'IA, A CORBORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

' WALL-SIGN STRUCTURE.

eann- To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, JAY CHAPIN, a cit zen of the United States, and. residing in the borough of Edgewood, in the county of Allegheny. and State of Pennsylvania, have'i. invented or discovered new and UsefulImprovements in VVall-Sign structures sofj whichthe following is a specification. My invention consistsxin new and useful improvements in wall signs. x

More particularly it relates to the structure of such signs and the manner of at-. taching the same to the wall or other support. a Wall signs are now commonly constructed thin sheet metal with .beveled or rearwardly inclined edges and mounted on a .plate or backing of wood. They are at tached to the wall by meansof'screws passing through the sign and its wooden backmg.

My object is to dis ense with the wooden backing with its evi ent defects and unsatisfactory features,

inforcement.

My object is further to provide means for securely attaching the sign to the wall in such a manner as not to mar its appearance or to dent or damage the sign by the instal-:

lation or presence of the fastening means.

Other novel features of structure'and ar-- rangement of parts will appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a wall sign embody: ing my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section along the line I III in Fig. 1; Fig.3

an enlarged detail along the line 'III-III Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a perspective of one of the angle-members shown in Fig.2, and. Fig. 5 is an end view. showing another composed of a thin sheet of metal, usually I copper and is usually rovided with rearwardly and outward y extending. edge flanges 1-1 whose outer edges impinge against the surface of the wall B.

22 represent the letters which are disand to stiffen and strengthen the sign by means of metallic re- 1912. Serial No. 698,489.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented M 25 1913 Application filed May 20,

' played on the face of the sign and shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as made separate from the si and secured thereto by means of bolts, 3-3,

@ whose ends are usually embedded in the let- ;ters 2 -2 which latter are usually cast of bronze. or other non-corrosive. material. The bolts 3-3 pass through holes "punched 1 through the sign A at the properly spaced intervals required for positioning the letters to form the desired wording.

CO represent one or more metal anglemembers which serve to brace and stiffen the sign and space it properly from the wall B. Said angle-members are shown running horizontally but it will'be understood that .the same may be vertical or dia onal, as fmay be desired. However, where t e wording is displayed in horizontal lines, as shown, I

21 prefer to place the an le-members hori-' zontally, one of such mem ers in the rear of each line of the wording. One flange, as l, of said angle-members abuts against the back face of the sign A while the other w flange, 51S extends rearwardly to th 5. i

tical plane of the outer edges of the edge I flanges 11,so that when the sign A is placed against the wall B the edge flanges 1-- 1 and the flanges 5-5 of the angle-members C G bear against said wall B. In Fig. 2, I have shown the members C-C secured to the back face of thesign A 3 by. means of the bolts 3-3which also secure;

'the'letters 2-2 in place, "said bolts passing through holes in the flanges 4-4 of said members, washers 6--6 and nuts 77 en-' gaging the ends of said bolts and bearing tightly against the said flanges 4-4.-- I

series of slots 8-8 through which said bolts To avoid special punchinguof each mem-j ber C----(] to accommodate the bolts 3+3 of 3-3 may extend. I am therefore enabled to make up said angle-members in lengths and cut the same to proper size for the individual signs in such a manner that the letter-bolts will register with said slots 8 8- In Fig. 5, I have indicated a portion of-an etched or enameled sign A upon which the Y lettering is placed by etching or enameling.

In such cases the use of bolts or rivets for I attaching the flange 4 of the member 0 would unduly mar the sign. In such case I may solder or braze the member C in lace. I prefer to attach the members- C in like manner to the backface of the sign A, shown in Fig. 2-, when said members do 5 not happen to be located in the rear of a line of letters. v For the purpose of attaching'the sign to the wall, I punch a pluralityof holes 99 in thesign A, preferabl one at each corner. 10 10 '18 a metal 'cylin er, preferably pro- 'vided with. an annular end flange 11 which 3 bears upon the front face of the si A. when said cylinder is inserted throug the 'hole 9. The cylinder 10 is of sufficient 15 length that its inner end bears against the wallB, 7

' D is an ornamental boss or cap, preferably cast of bronze and notched to fit down snugly over the flanged end of cylinder 10 and bear passing throughthe cylinder .10 and Ienter-; mg the wall B. It is'evident thatthe. screw I f or bolt 12 may tighten very snugly without injury to the sign as thetensionand force are assumed by the boss D and cylinder 10,

I i I which latter abuts against the wall B. The

installation or removal of the sign is therefore easily accomplished without danger of denting or damaging the sheet metal of signA f 3 When the si isin'place on the. wall the members C-' 'keep the same spacedvthe proper distance from the wall and safely I assume all blows. or forces which would otherwise either dent in the sign ,or'flatten .or b'end'the edge-flanges 1 -1; A

' Signs of th s. character are usually inf "40 stalled by personswho have littleo'r no experience in suchwork, and a sign which will -not withstand moderately rough handling is not a good selling proposition. My sign answers all commercial and structural re- 4 5 'quirements, and is both inexpensive to manu'facture and possessed of great durabllity.

-What I desire to claim is i 1. A wall sign composed of a plate of sheet metal having edge flanges extending rearwardly to the wall, metal angle members having one flange bearing against the back face of said plate and having the other flange extending rearwardly and bearin against the face of the wall, separate meta letter members mounted on the front face of saidplate and common fastening means engaging saidletter members and said angle members and passing through said plate to bind the structure together.

- 2. In combination with a sheet metal wall sign provided. with rearwardly extending e ge flanges, separate letters adapted to be mounted on the front face of the sign, bolts on said letters extending through holes in said sign, an angle-member havin one of its flanges bearing against the back ace of said sign,-said flange bein provided with slots extending longitudinally of said angle-member through which said bolts pass to permit of adjustment, and having its second flange extendin r'earwardly to the plane of the edges of sai dge flanges to contact with the wall, and nuts screwed on said bolts against said angle-member, for the purpose described. c

3. Means for attaching a sheet metal Sign to a wall composed of means for spacing t 1e face of the sign from the wall, a cylinder extending through'a hole in said sign and bearing on the wall, a separate ornamental cap bearing upon the outer end of said cylinder and the front face of said sign and a fastening member extending through said cap and said cylinder and engaging said wall, for the urpose'described.

Signed at ittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this 16th day of May,'1912.

g JAY CHAPIN.

Witnesses:

' E. A. LAURENCE,

JOHN JENKINS. 

